The Promise
by Sora-Uchiha1827
Summary: "When Satan's sons were born he ordered one of his commanding pillars, Kori of the Fifth Pillar, to protect his spawns. However, when she was sent to Asiah, her powers were suppressed and she regressed to a child. Shiro then raised Kori along side Rin an Yukio as their sister, but her mission still resides deep in her subconscious. Her promise to protect her brothers."
1. Chapter 1

Rin was in the kitchen making dinner when his cellphone rang abruptly, making him almost drop the sauce pan he was carrying.

Pulling it out of his pocket it, he answered,  
"Rin speaking, what's up?" There was a grumble from the other line of the phone; he tilted his head in confusion as he pressed his ear closer.

A female voice responded clearer,  
"Hey, Rin, I need you to tell father I'm going to be late. Something came up and I needed to get my blade sharpened."

Rin frowned, the tone of the very familiar voice made him more concerned than her words.  
"Okay, but-"

There was a loud crash from the other line before Rin could finish and the dial tone was prominent in his ear.

He sighed, the normalcy of the situation almost surprised him; this happened quite often and most of the time it was he who was on the other line.

Rin put his cellphone away and continued the prep work for dinner, pushing the phone call to the back of his mind as he focused on the task at hand.

Everyone was seated around the table, plates of steamy, hot curry laid out in front of them, but before anyone could grab their plate Shiro spoke up,  
"Has anyone seen Kori? She was supposed to be home an hour ago."

Rin swallowed his water hard, remembrance striking him.  
"Oh, old man, Kori called forty minutes ago. She said something about needing her katana sharpened." The blue haired boy rubbed the back of his head and gave a shy smile in apology for not telling sooner.

Rin missed the expression that passed over Shiro's face and the look he and Yukio shared.

Rin grabbed a plate and started to shove rice in his mouth at the same time he spoke,  
"Don't worry pops, she has been out like this before. She'll be fine. Plus, you'll have to get used to it sooner or later, look at Yukio, he's leaving the church to go to school tomorrow." Rin sneered at his younger brother, a mixture of pride in his eyes.

Shiro grabbed his own plate, sighing and laying a hand on his chin.  
"Why can't my kids just do what I want them to do? You all are brats."

There were laughs from across the table as merry chatter lapsed over and dinner resumed.

There was a noise coming from the monastery's gate as it slowly creaked open, shadows moved in a cluster as someone entered through.

White hair persevered through the dark shadows and revealed a young woman, fourteen years old.

Her pure, bright hair fell out of a messy ponytail and cascaded down her black jacket; the distinct comparison made her hair glow even brighter in the dark. Her blue undershirt and the red strap of her katana bag across her chest gave some colour to the scenery, but the black leather pants made it seem as if she was floating.

The mystical phenomenon dissipated as she escaped the pull of darkness all the way.

Nagatomo, whom was walking in front of the monastery, saw her stagger slowly through the gate.  
"Kori?" She raised her head and stared at him with such glazed and lifeless eyes it took him aback.  
"You okay?" The curly, brown haired priest called out to her.

Kori gripped her sides suddenly, pain seared across her face as her legs gave way under her.

Nagatomo rushed to the young girl as he looked at the hand clamped to her side, blood oozed profusely over her fingers.

The monastery priest looked around frantically as he began to yell for help,  
"We need assistance! Father Fujimoto! Someone!"

A side door opened and Yukio rushed out, freezing when he saw Kori on her knees, blood dripping to the floor,  
"Rin! Father!" Yukio called back Inside as he ran to to them.

Maruta met Yukio with a first-aid kit just as Shiro and Rin breached the doorway. Shiro looked to Rin, grabbing his shoulder,  
"I'll get some freshwater, Rin go and take her into the church once she gets emergency first-aid applied." Rin nodded as his father rushed to the back of the monastery where the well lies.

When Rin reached his sister's side her head lay in Nagatomo's lap, Maruta fretted behind them, displacing his weight from side to side as Yukio applied bandages to the bloody wound on her abdomen.

Kori looked up to Rin, a smirk on her pale face,  
"It's not as bad a it looks, trust me." Rin forced a stiff laugh as he eyed the wound not only on her abdomen but the scratches on her arms and legs,  
"After all the fights you and I have been in these past ten years I hope you don't kill over from that little scratch."

His attempt at a joke to smooth over the situation earned him a glare from Yukio as the twin put tape on the bandage to keep it from unraveling, but Kori did show him a warm smile for his effort.

Yukio nodded in sign he was finished,  
"It isn't deep, but you have lost a lot of blood and that's the main reason you almost fainted. You should be fine after rest, fluids, and if we clean your wound properly later." Rin let out a sigh as he dropped down and carefully took hold of her,  
"Hey, Rin, I'm fine. Put me down." Kori squirmed in his arms, but she quieted as her strength failed her, getting dizzy once again from blood loss.

Shiro came into the church just as Rin set her down on one of the benches,  
"Want to tell me what happened?" Shiro set the bucket of water down beside them before he crossed his arms and looked down his nose at the young girl.

Kori sighed as she shifted on the bench to a more comfortable position,  
"I got my katana sharpened and some punks were teasing a dog in the park," she paused, her features twisting in disgust at the memory,  
"So I decided to test out my blade on them, but more of their buddies came and brought weapon of their own."

She shrugged as Shiro groaned in displeasure, rubbing his temple,  
"Well, you just need to be more careful. I don't know what's up with you and Rin with fighting but you guys need to knock it off. Rin was in a fight earlier today too. Are you all idiots?" Kori smiled to her father and giggled at his concern; seeing through his anger.

Her sudden chortle caused the group to look around in confusion, but then Rin suddenly covered his mouth, trying to suppress his own laughter at the situation.

The contagious laughter soon took over the whole group, even Shiro, who's features softened greatly at his children's happy expressions, roared with laughter at the un-funny comment.

The next day, Kori perched herself on top of the monastery's roof and started reading a book when she spotted Shiro speaking with Rin near the gates.

Rin was wearing a black suit, which looked strange, but handsome on the young boy and Kori couldn't help but snicker at the appearance.

She stuffed her book in her pocket as she watched them converse, some parts arguing, but she could feel the love from where she crouched. As Rin left she jumped off the roof, her clothes flapping in the wind as she landed gracefully on the concrete. The jump pleasantly stung her feet as she stood from her crouched position.

She looked at Shiro's back, it somehow looked like it was dreading something with every fiber of its being,  
"Hey, dad, where's Rin goin'?." Shiro turned around, surprised at the sudden voice behind him,  
"Kori, what are you doing? You're still injured for God's sake!"

She waved her hand in front of her face, dismissing his words as she put a hand on her hip,  
"Did you really think that little scratch would put me down? You know I heal fast."

Kori raised her T-Shirt without any embarrassment, showing a small scar where her gash was yesterday. Her skin red and agitated, but the once bleeding wound was completely shut.

Shiro narrowed his eyes, his demeanor turning from frantic to serious,  
"Put that away, you know better. If anyone else saw they would ask questions."

Her cocky smile was wiped away as she pulled down her shirt forcefully, looking away as she grumbled her understanding.

There was a moment of silence between them before Kori asked spoke,  
"You where going somewhere, right? I'm dying here by myself, since Yukio left for his first day at school so early this morning. So can I come, please?" Her more humble attitude surprised Shiro for a moment, but he couldn't resist the smile creeping up on his features.

He chuckled as he ruffled her glossy, white hair,  
"Of course you can, come on." He motioned his head towards the gate as he casually put an arm around his daughter's shoulders,

"We have to go and get groceries for tonight's dinner, Rin is going to work today till four so we'll have to make it." She looked to him, disappointment clear in her eyes,  
"We're making dinner? I love Rin's cooking though, we suck compared to him." She pouted slightly, but Shiro flicked the side of her face before removing his arm from around her shoulders.  
"Too bad. Eat it or starve." He teased lovingly, laughing as he jostled her arm with his elbow in casual friendliness as they strolled out of the monastery.

They walked down the street, two blocks down from the church, enjoying the scenery and sound of laughter as they passed a park.

Suddenly the laughter turned into shocked screams, Kori turned around just as a small group of children knocked into her, crying. They ran, looking back at her, and what's past her, with terrified eyes.

The hair on the back of Kori's neck rose as she realized there was a cluster of coal tars floating around her, filing her vision more than usual.

Shiro shared the same look of concern as she as they looked around; a dark, echoing voice rang inside Kori's head,  
"Ah, where is the young master? You know where the young prince is, don't you, Kori of the Fifth Pillar?"

Three boys motioned in the shadows, the one who spoke lead the group and stepped halfway out.

His face was contorted with bandages around his left eye; sharp teeth escaping his gaping mouth, the whites of his eyes were a pail red, hair the colour of burnt flesh, and stud piercings above each eyebrow.

The young man came out of the shadows fully to reveal spiral horns on the side of his head and long, pointed ears.

A Demon.

And Kori knew exactly who it was too.  
"Astaroth." Kori hissed the name and felt her hand motion to her katana, Red Moon.  
"Don't call me by my title, damn it, not here." she clicked her tongue as she looked to Shiro, her eyes annoyed, but serious.

Shiro looked to her, taking the situation in stride,  
"I'll find Rin, you distract him as long as you can, but I only want you to use the back of Red Moon, he's obviously possessed and we don't want to hurt the human too much." Shiro eyed the demon and cursed himself before turning and running in the direction Rin's work should be.

Kori Waited till Shiro was out of sight before turning her attention back to Astaroth,  
"What are you doing in Aasiah?" The possessed human tilted his head at a sickening angle,  
"I'm here to bring the young prince home, Fifth Pillar, and if you don't tell me then I'll find him myself."

The demon started to walk, his two friends looked thoroughly confused at their conversation but followed him none the less, obviously not realizing their friend is possessed.

Kori unsheathed Red Moon, spinning it in her hand to where the dull back of her katana faced them,  
"You're not going anywhere." She held her katana to the side of her face as she growled the command, not getting any reaction from Astaroth.

He continued to stroll in her direction, but just as he got to the side of her she twisted her sword and propelled her arms forward.

He skirted to the side, dodging her blow, as he flung his jacket behind him, reaching towards his pant legs. He revealed daggers strapped to his legs. He put four in each hand and erratically threw all of them in her direction.

She skillfully deflected one dagger after another, turning her blade just the right way so that all eight laid haphazardly around the street.

The follower with spiky, yellow hair came towards her with a bat, screaming as he swung wildly. She dodged the first swing as she turned her sword and grasped the hilt strongly, driving it into his wrist; knocking the bat from his grasp.

The underling fell to the floor, holding his hand as he scooted backwards. He scrambled to his feet as Kori took a step towards him and ran off into the distance.

She looked around and realized Astaroth had taken the opportunity to escape.

She felt her blood boil as she looked dumbfounded at the empty area, she cursed as she stomped her foot to the ground, wishing everyone in Gehenna could hear her anger.

She whirled around and stormed into the direction of the monastery, Shiro will bring Rin back safely so she needs to get everything ready on her end.

Astaroth will not go down easy.

It had been hours since Kori reached the church and there was still no sign of Rin or Shiro.

She had already gathered all the holy water in the monastery and helped Nagatomo and Maruta strengthen the wards around the church. All that was left was for her to wait for her brother and father to come home.

Just as Kori was at her limit and was about to search for them herself, Rin and Shiro ran into the gate. The assistant priests ran to greet them with relieved smiles but Kori stayed back.

She could feel the power radiating from Rin and his lost, confused eyes made her break out in a cold sweat. She could tell he knew he was the son of Satan.

Despair and frustration raced through her as she pushed back her hair and looked at Shiro.

He had ignored the men's concerned complaints and stared directly back at Kori and nodded to her.

She whipped around and headed into the monastery, Rin barely noticed as he looked blankly to the side. Shiro didn't look at his son as he guided him into the church.

Just as they entered a blaring noise came from the front of the monastery and the wall fell in, revealing a large truck.

Kori was already hurriedly exiting a space underneath the alter with a long bundle in her hands when the truck came through. She protected the bundle with her body as rubble knocked her over.

Astorath cackled from inside the truck as he swung out of the door and all the priests jumped into action, calling on their familiars and holy water.

Rin shifted uneasily in the confusion until he noticed Kori under the rubble. He ran to her as the fight continued on, helping her lift the large rock pinning her lower body.

She sighed with relief at the release of pressure, eyeing the battle, but the weight of the blade in her hands loomed more important.

She turned fully to Rin, solemnly placing the bundle in his confused hands,  
"This is The Demon Slaying Blade: Kurikara. This holds your demonic powers and is sealed by the scabbard," she lowered her eyes as she felt his searching ones roam over her face, he was about to speak when Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder.

Kori looked around and saw signs of demonic mushrooms roaming over the monastery, the large rocks protected them from it. Astorath's vessel also laid unoccupied in the disarray. Kori sighed in relief, but he attention went back to Shiro, who spoke,  
"You must never draw that sword and it must never leave your side. Do you understand me?"

Rin stood, his face contorted as he shoved the sword into Shiro's chest,  
"No, I don't understand! Are you telling me demons exist and that I'm one of them? Screw that!" He shook his head wildly as he spoke, nails digging into his clenched hand until he felt blood.

Shiro groaned and put his hand in his chin,  
"Yes, accept it because its happening right now and we don't have time for this. I have a friend who can protect you." Rin stepped closer to him, seething with anger,  
"So you knew this whole time and hid it from me? Who are you to keep that from me? You're not even my real father!"

A hard pressure landed on his cheek, making him fall heavily to the floor. He looked up, shocked as he held his left cheek in his hand.

The slap left him a shell of dissipated anger and filled his heart with pain.  
"I don't want to see you." Rin muttered as he looked to the floor, his heart threatening to burst from the sight of Shiro's hurt eyes and red palm.

Kori stood from her knelt position and took a step towards Shiro, looking wearily at Rin's form on the floor,  
"Dad, where are you going?" Kori stopped him before he got too far.  
"To call my friend to come and pick you and Rin up. You need to stay by your brother's sid-" his sentence was cut off as the priest doubled over, a hand over his mouth.

The lights began to dim and a cold air filled the room, making Kori shudder as her flesh grew goosebumps.  
"Oh, no." Shiro's voice quivered as he held himself, calling Rin's despondent eyes to him.

Kori reached out to her father but he threw his arms out against her touch,  
"Don't come near me, get away!"

Blue flames escaped from him, his ears growing longer, his eyes bulging as he turned to face them, a large grin stretching across the priest's face.

He bellowed a laugh so sharp Kori covered her ears, a strange undertone laced the voice as Shiro outstretched his arms,  
"My son, how I've missed you." Rin finally stood from the floor, shaking as he looked at the blue flames pouring out from the man in front of him, his skin slowly peeling,  
"D-Dad?"

Shiro gave an exaggerated shake of his head as he gave another large grin, leaning towards him,  
"Yep, it's Daddy! And Daddy came all the way out here just to see his cute little boy, be grateful."

He leered at Rin but when his eyes laid on Kori the demonic man laughed once again, turning in a circle dramatically till he faced her as well,  
"Fifth Pillar, nice to see you're doing your job, continue taking care of my son." Kori gritted her teeth, boiling with rage as she grasped Red Moon's hilt.

She leaped forward, running her blade just above the floor, rising it as she got closer,  
"Fuck you, Satan!"

He chuckled as he he raised a hand,  
"Any day but today, child. It's my long awaited reunion after all." Satan flicked his hand and a black shadow fell over Kori.

She looked up and dodged a plummeting kick just in time, skirting to the side with her katana at the ready.

She saw a man covered in cloth from head to toe, the black and blue cloak he wore signified him as Satan's Royal Guard.

Without a second thought, the man was in her face, a clear smirk gracing his lips under the cloth. The cloaked man made a single move and Kori was sent flying across the room from a strong punch to the abdomen.

She hit the wall hard enough to the point she felt her ribs crack and her skull lash forward, she gasped from the sheer shock of it all. She plummeted to the floor and Kori saw the masked man melt back into darkness like he never existed to begin with.

Before she fell into unconsciousness she felt a tear roll down her check as she saw her one and only father lift Rin into the air by his throat, Shiro's face tearing apart and eyes bleeding from the intensity of Satan's power.

And she was here being useless as everything went dark.

Rain tapped Kori and Rin's hunched forms dolefully as they stood in front of the tomb marker.

Their hands were clasped together at a feeble attempt of consolation, but the touch and even the warble of rain poring around them felt dull. Rin couldn't pull his eyes away from the engraved letters smoothly decorating the slab in front of him.

Kori bit her lip and forced herself to look away, the rain fell in streams down her cheeks as she gritted her teeth.  
"You can hate me too if you want." Her words were masked under the beat of the water hitting the earth but Rin squeezed her hand back in response.

"I don't want to hate you. Dad..." He lost the words, not sure what he was trying to say. All he could feel was grief and regret.

Kori gave a ghost of a smile before she un-clasped their hands and dug into her jacket pocket,  
"I sincerely hope you still think that later on."

She pulled out Shiro's phone, to Rin's confusion, and pressed a single number before bringing it to her ear.

"Shura, we need to talk. It's about father. Yes, I'll see you then," Kori nodded to herself and hummed a response to an un-heard question before continuing,  
"So Mephisto is the friend Shiro was talking about, huh? Understood." She promptly closed the phone and met Rin's inquiring gaze,

"I have to go. Someone's going to come and pick you up, he's a friend and you can trust him, okay?" Rin tilted his head, eyes narrowing in dull anger,

"What aren't you telling me? Why was dad so secretive? Why are you leaving when dad is here dead?" He threw an arm to the side to gesture to the tomb, rain draping his pained features.

"It's because dad is gone that I have to leave. You'll understand everything soon, but not at this moment in time. Don't worry, we'll see each other sooner than you think so remember what you said about not hating me." Her tone was strained in an attempt of playfulness, but her scrunched brows and twitching smile gave her away as she motioned backwards.

A long pink limo pulled up beside the road and Kori walked the side of it, nodding to the tinted window before it opened.

A man with dark purple hair and a large, white top hat with pink and purple colours decorating the base, breached the flamboyant vehicle, his sharp emerald eyes watched Kori's back as she continued down the street.

She heard the door shut loudly and the man's eccentric laughter and unique tone of voice made her cringe slightly as he spoke to Rin, their words lost in the rain.

She felt her legs slow and her straight back slouch as the incoherent voices drew farther away, as she drew farther away from her brother.

A hand touched her shoulder, but she didn't react to it, she knew who it was.

"Shura-nee." A tall woman stood in front of her, her red hair with yellow tips that always reminded Kori of a beautiful flame now looked like wet fire in the rain.

She still wore her red bikini top despite the chill weather and Kori couldn't help but give her a small smile.

Kori pushed her flattened hair out of her eyes, squeezing her grasp on the silver locks as they traveled half way past her head. Her hand trembled and she let it fall limp to her side,  
"Dad's dead and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I fought Seika, Satan's head guard and he tossed me around like I was nothing!" She tossed her head from side to side as she spoke hurriedly to the ground, but she stilled and her voice broke,

"I'm still so weak." Shura pulled her into a hug, gently dragging her hands through Kori's wet hair.

"It'll be okay. Even I would have a hard time against that enemy in your circumstance. You still have Rin and four-eyes, right? Put that frustration into your job. Never forget why you're here." She spoke with a lull in her voice and it calmed Kori down immediately.

She nodded her head in Shura's shoulder before stepping back, wiping her eyes, slightly embarrassed.  
"Mephisto is going to send Rin to the Academy, right? So let's go too, we have things to prepare after all." Kori focused her eyes on something in the distance as she spoke, regaining all of her composure.

Shura gave her a smirk as she brought an arm around the smaller girl's shoulder and lead her to the Academy


	2. Chapter 2

Rin had been bombarded with the whole situation; he had barely gotten any time to process anything.

His father is dead.

Well, who he believed was his father, and now he has this terrifying blood-line and power dwelling within him.

Despite not processing his feelings on the subject he had decided to become an exorcist, so he was dragged to an enormous school by the clown of a headmaster and had just finished his normal classes.

Who can think of learning in this type of situation any how? However, he made it to his cram classes, the classes he was really looking forward to so that he could take revenge for his father; against Satan.

He stood outside the large door to his new classroom, Mephisto showed him to the secret hallway and about the magic keys just a few minutes ago, but he wasn't quite prepared to enter just yet.

A rough hand pushed on his back and Rin whipped around defensively,  
"What the Hell?"

He turned to face a young man with curled brown hair that streaked blonde in the middle. His many piercings shone in the dull light of the corridor and Rin couldn't help but think his delinquent-like appearance was rather cool. However, he would look more handsome if he didn't have such a strong scowl etched into his features,

"You're blocking the door. Get in or get out." Rin was dumbfounded and slightly embarrassed at being caught diddling around the entrance. He puffed his cheeks and walked through the doors.

The capacious room held rows of elevated seats that circled around a single podium stand. Despite the room being able to hold twenty people there was only about four students spotted across the class.

The robust man walked quickly to his seat on the other end of the room, near a pink haired boy and a small monk-like student.

Rin watched the blonde streaked teen for a moment longer, imagining what he would look like without that crease in between his eyes before selecting his own seat in the front row.

Soon after Rin sat down, the door opened and Yukio walked it, his long black coat swishing with his elegant movements.

Rin felt his voice leave him as he watched his younger brother stride to the podium, place his bag down and pushed his glasses higher on his face before addressing the class,

"Welcome to your first day of cram school. You may call me Okumura-sensei. I will be teaching you Anti-Demon Pharmacology. Is there anyone who has yet to perform their Mashō Rite?" A few of the small group rose their hands and as Yukio began to explain about rotten blood and hobgoblins, Rin stood from his seat with a clamor,

"No fucking way," just as Yukio rose an eyebrow at his brother and all of the student's eyes were on his standing form, the door clattered open.

A small girl fell to the ground roughly, her bag and notebook skidded across the wooden floor. She timidly rose her wavy, disheveled, chestnut locks out of her face as she looked up, her dark eyes wide.

The room's attention naturally focused on her and she shrunk back as her complexion became rubicund.

She quickly gathered her fallen belongings and climbed to her feet hastily, bowing to Yukio,

"I-I'm so sorry. I got my key and pass late." She quieted her stammering as she rose her head, an effervescent smile taking hold of her features as she tilted her head in greeting,  
"I'm Miu Suguro. Nice to meet you all."

There was silence in the room before Yukio nodded,

"Thank you, Miss Suguro, you can have a seat behind Okumura Rin. He's the one standing." He motioned to the still standing Rin with a kind smile, In which the boy widened his eye and looked around timidly before sitting back in his seat with a grumble.

Miu returned Yukio's smile even brighter as she nodded to him and began to walk towards the seat, but her eyes roamed the classroom and when she saw the blond streaked teen's stunned face she broke into a wide grin, eye shining,

"Bon!" The girl began to race towards his seat, but as he rose, face fuming, she decided against it.

Her smile faded and was replaced with a shy, twitching attempt at one, her face going slightly pale,

"H-Hi, Bon..." Her voice faded as Bon closed the distance between them,

"What the hell are you doing here? You're not suppose to know about any if this!" He gestured to the room, his dark eyes never leaving hers.

She tugged at the hem of her school's uniform' skirt,

"I'm sorry, but I've known about demons and such for a long time, and when I heard you, Renzo, and Koneko talking about enlisting to the Academy and becoming exorcists... I wanted to go too," she raised her head high, eyes determined and voice steady as she spoke,

"I want to be a doctor, so that I can help you and everyone else instead of having you protect me all the time."  
Bon's face slowly eased at her words and he gave an exasperated sigh.

He patted her head affectionately,

"Okay, we'll talk about this later." He turned to Yukio and gave an apologetic bow, Miu jumping to bow alongside her brother, not realizing they were making a spectacle of themselves.

"Sorry Sensei." The siblings spoke in unison and Yukio waved it off, sighing slightly,  
"It's fine, now let's get back to the lesson please."

Just as he spoke, the door to the classroom once again banged open.

Kori strode through the door, her Exorcist First Class uniform was sleek against her form and was adorned with a red sash and her katana was strapped firmly to her back, Yukio grimaced at her approach,

"You're early. I'm never going to finish my lesson." Despite his words he shot her a smile and patted her shoulder before moving to the side, passing the metaphorical baton to her.

Rin could hardly believe it, he was a bottle of silent anger as he looked bewilderedly at her.

First his brother is a teacher and now his sister is too. Is he the only one who didn't know anything?

Kori paid no mind to his obvious, questioning glares as she instructed the room,

"Hello everyone, my name is Kori Okumura. You will call me Sensei until otherwise stated, am I clear?"

The class murmured their acknowledgement but Rin spoke over them,  
"Kori, what the hell is happeni-"

His words were cut off by a fierce glare and a wave of energy that crashed against his temple, making him dizzy for a second,

"Did I not just say to call me Sensei, you brat?" Rin felt himself shrink into his chair, the hostility in her voice all too familiar and he resigned himself to asking questions at a different time, but his frustrations still swam inside him.

Kori smirked before slamming her fist on the podium, calling everyone eyes to her with a start,

"I'll be teaching you hand-to-hand and weapons combat training. Sorry, to cut your beginning lesson a tad short, but I'm on a schedule and this is rather important. You all will need to be able to defend yourselves. Be it with a weapon or in hand-to-hand."

Many of the students were dumbfounded at the suggestion of fight training already and Yukio let out a small chuckle from the sidelines, watching Kori's excited smile at their confusion.

The pink haired boy Bon had sat next to put a hand on his chin and spoke,

"You have got to be kidding me. This kid is going to be training us? She's what, like, twelve? And not all of us are going to be Knights or Dragoons, so why do we need this class?"

Rin fell into himself, pitying the boy as he peeked at Kori, dreading her actions-to-be.

She simply smiled to Shima as she lifted her head to peer down her nose at him, smirking confidently,

"Well, if that's what you believe then why don't you be the first one I train today? Class, follow me to the training room."

She turned, her long coat flapping as she briskly walked out of the class, leaving her students feeling confused.

The class quietly entered the patted training room, the new teacher stood in the center and Yukio sat on a bench to the side, reading a book.

Kori's exorcist coat was resting beside Yukio and she now wore a red shirt with a black moon printed over her heart. A silver necklace stood out against the red shirt; the exorcist pendant and a silver wolf hung from it.

Everyone took in the sight, noticing she held a wooden sword on her shoulder, her katana still sheathed at her waist.

"Okay, if you have a weapon then that is what you are going to be training with throughout this week, but if you don't then take one," She pointed to a cart full of weapons; wooden swords, staffs, and spears that were placed near Yukio,

"We're going to start by testing your skills. Cocky brat, you first."

Kori pointed the wooden sword at Shima, who then pointed at himself in question, looking to the others, shocked.

Kori nodded and he swallowed hard, but he narrowed his eyes as he stepped forward.  
"Alright, kids, stand behind the line and don't move, okay?"

She swung the boken to indicate the red circle that designated the fighting area.

Miu leaned into Bon as the others moved back a step,  
"Why do you think Kori-Sensei is using a wooden sword instead of her actual sword?"

Before Bon spoke, Yukio answered instead,  
"She wants to keep the training fun while she teaches both of her subjects, plus she doesn't want to hurt anyone, though she could still do a lot of damage with a wooden sword."

Miu let out a surprised gasp at the sudden interjection from Yukio but nodded to him none the less. She hid her embarrassment into Bon's jacket as she gulped down some anxiety before looking back at Shima, who had taken out his staff, clicking it into place.

Kori spun her fake sword a few time for good measure as she set her eyes on her student,  
"By all means you may start, not like it'll matter. You won't be able to land a single hit."

Shima clicked his tongue at her words before leaping towards her, giving a strong roar as he swung the staff over his head and pulled it down on top of her.

His staff hit the floor mat with a reverberating sound.

He was taken aback as he looked around frantically.

"Never take your eyes off of your opponent; you closed your eyes when you swung."

He turned around to where the voice came from, expecting to see the white haired exorcist, but he felt pressure at his back and a hand on his shoulder.

"Be aware of your surroundings as well. Your enemy can be anywhere once you lose sight of them, and they're typically never where you expect them to be." Kori whispered into his ear before swinging her sword.

The wood struck his side, pushing farther into him as he was lifted off his feet and flew to the side of the large circle. Shima gasped and grabbed his stomach as he graveled in pain.

Bon looked to his childhood friend writhing on the ground as he started to flex his fists.

Rin stared at Bon's stiff form and clenched jaw, deciding to intervene, he pulled on his jacket,

"Hey, don't interfere. I know Kori and she won't hurt him. She's doing this for him; she has always been a good, but harsh teacher."

Bon looked to him sternly before pulling his arm away, stuffing them into his pockets as he continued to watch with a sour expression.

Rin shrugged at his reaction, but felt better as Bon's shoulders seemed to relax slightly.

Kori walked towards Shima, who was still lying on the ground.

"Get up. Your enemy won't wait till you're back on your feet." Shima swung his staff at Kori once she reached him, grazing her cheek just before she skipped backwards.

She rubbed the barely bleeding cut and smiled warmly to him,

"Good. Take them by surprise, sometimes feigning defeat is the best course." She nodded to him as he used the staff to bring himself to his feet, an arrogant smile gracing his lips.

Her smile then set into a frown,  
"Don't let one hit inflate your ego, cocky brat. That's how you lose." She swiftly ran towards him, eyes flaring a dangerous red.

Shima froze at the sight of those eyes and the intensity of her killing intent, closing his eyes, ready for impact.

She swung her sword with a flare of wind and stood at his back a few steps away, her sword still in the striking position before she lowered it.

"I said don't close your eyes to an opponent. My session with you is done for today, go sit down."

Shima blinked, raising his arms to inspect his body, genuinely surprised he wasn't laying on the floor again.

He felt a trickle of blood run down his cheek; it was slightly cut.

His knees went weak as he fell to the floor; Bon, Miu, and Konekomaru rushed to his side.

"I thought I was really going to die! What the heck?"

Kori looked to him, caressing her katana's hilt unconsciously,

"As long as I'm training you I will take the position of a true enemy and attack you like they would, of course I won't kill you and I will teach you all properly. Be prepared, however."


End file.
